knife

Chapter 136 Little Ma

Ma Liang appeared before Li Dachui with a sly grin, carrying a jug of wine.

"The imperial wine was bestowed upon me, and there were only ten small jars. I stole one jar from my father's small storeroom." After placing the exquisite wine jar on Li Dachui's table, Ma Liang unceremoniously dragged over a brocade stool and plopped down opposite Li Dachui.

In front of Wei Yi, Ma Liang was a muddle-headed guy who was content with his father's backing. He showed Wei Yi respect and envy and made no attempt to hide his desire to curry favor, which made Wei Yi look down on him.

At this moment, however, beneath his lazy and casual exterior, his shrewdness was unexpectedly revealed.

Li Dachui poked at the wine jar and said, "In my opinion, the wine jar looks better, but the wine tastes really bad!"

"Whether it tastes good or not is secondary; the important thing is that it was bestowed by the Emperor!" Ma Liang snapped open the clay seal, dragged a teacup from the table, poured himself a full cup, and pushed it in front of Li Dachui. Then he took a sip from the jar himself and sighed contentedly. "It's still so much easier in front of you!"

Li Dachui laughed heartily: "What's wrong? Is it hard to pretend to be a second-generation general in front of Wei Yi?"

Ma Liang took another sip of wine and nodded: "That kid has sharp eyes and a deep mind; he's not a simple person. I used to think that guys like him in Chang'an were all useless fools, but after getting to know him, I realized that's not the case. And even though he looks down on you, his words and actions still make you feel like you're basking in a spring breeze; he's incredibly capable. If I hadn't already followed Boss Li, I might have really stuck with this guy."

"Do you think just anyone can stay in the Emperor's service for so long? Even with Wei Zhengdao as a father, without real skills, you can't survive in the palace," Li Dachui said. "And without some real ability, how could you possibly have gotten this assignment?"

Ma Liang tossed aside the wine jar in his hand, leaned forward, and looked at Li Dachui, saying, "Let's not talk about him anymore. No matter how powerful he is outside the Great Wall, he doesn't have many tricks up his sleeve. You can't cook without rice. Let's talk about our business!"

Li Dachui rolled his eyes: "What? Now that General Ma commands a mighty pass and a mighty army, does he still remember me, a mere bandit?"

"You flatter me, you flatter me!" Ma Liang said with a smile. "My father may have been a little negligent, but I have always held you in high esteem! If you have any requests, I will always do them for you."

"It's only because of you. Your father is really smart. If he had sent anyone else this time, I would have slapped them across the face and sent them away! He uses people when he needs them and discards them when he doesn't. Your father is not fair!" Li Dachui said without any politeness.

"Brother Li, it's not fair of you to curse your father in front of your son!" Ma Liang said, banging on the table.

"When did you ever think I was a decent person?" Li Dachui sneered.

Ma Liang paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's right, being sharp-tongued, ruthless, and shameless is the true nature of Boss Li."

"Tell me, what does your dad want me to do this time?" Li Dachui looked at Ma Liang, and finally a smile appeared on his face. It wasn't fake; it was a genuine smile.

"Warhorses!" Ma Liang said, "It's not difficult to recruit men for the expansion of Yangguan's army, but warhorses have always been in short supply because of Linghu Ye's interference. Now Yangguan has a little over two thousand cavalry, but only about two thousand horses. Many of them are not even fit for the battlefield and can only be used for training."

"Getting a horse is easy! What will your father offer in return?"

"Armaments, iron ore, salt, tea!" Ma Liang said with a smile, "You can bring me any strategic materials you need!"

"Has your dad gotten a little bolder? Or has Zhang Songlin come up with some new ideas?" Li Dachui asked, somewhat surprised.

"Among Minister Zhang's supporters, only my father is truly capable. The situation inside the pass is not good now. If he continues to cling to his old ways, I'm afraid his fate will be very tragic!" Ma Liang said, "Brother Li, even someone like Zhang Songlin has started preparing for his escape route. This shows how serious the situation is! I'm afraid there are still many inside stories that we don't know."

"Tell Zhang Songlin that the profits will be split 60/40 from now on, I'll get 60% and he'll get 40%!"

"Isn't this the opposite? Is he willing to do it?"

"Fine, then don't do it!" Li Dachui said. "Before, I had to beg him, but now I'm the Deputy Protector-General of the Anxi Protectorate. It's a piece of cake for me to open an office and organize a hometown association in Chang'an. Besides, I can also climb the social ladder by getting things done through Prime Minister Wei! In Chang'an, it's not like Minister Zhang is the only one who can get things done."

"Yes, I'll pass on the message verbatim." Ma Liang nodded. "And what about me, Boss Li? What are your instructions?"

Li Dachui picked up his wine bowl: "Brother Ma, you're in Yangguan now. Be a good young general. Don't let your father's old subordinates still treat you like an ignorant, spoiled brat. If you play dumb for too long, they'll really start to think you're a fool. When you get back, establish your authority, kill people when necessary, and truly take control of your father's most elite guard as soon as possible." "My father is still in good spirits. I think he'll live to be seventy or eighty without any problem!" Ma Liang's eyes widened.

“He can live to be a hundred or so, but when it’s time for your father to retire, he should retire. You, as his son, should be filial. How can you let your old man, at his age, still be running around and working so hard?” Li Dachui picked up his wine bowl. “Look how conscientious my old man is. When I returned from the wasteland, he immediately handed over everything in Tai’an City to me, leaving himself nothing.”

Ma Liang pondered for a moment: "So, you're planning to take action against Linghu Ye as soon as you get the chance? But in my opinion, the time isn't ripe yet. Linghu Ye's 100,000-strong army isn't some lamb. Besides, don't compare your old man to my old man. What kind of person is the city lord? He's practically a god who doesn't eat the food of mortals, isn't he? Tai'an City is nothing to him. But my old man considers Yangguan a part of his life. If I really take it from him, I'm afraid he'll lose six or seven out of ten lives."

"Be prepared!" Li Dachui laughed. "It's not like I'm taking it now; it'll be a few years from now. But what use are you if I need you later and you're just a mouth and an empty shell?"

Ma Liang pouted, picked up his wine jar and clinked it against Li Dachui's: "Brother Li, you're always so accommodating, aren't you? You haven't paid much attention to me these past two years. You didn't even include me in such an exciting project as dealing with Yan Sheng!"

"Can I let you join in this?" Li Dachui laughed and scolded, "We might be taking action against some forces in the Black Domain next. If you want to have some fun, you can come over! But I think it's more fun to outwit your father and his old generals in Yangguan than to fight these bandits."

Ma Liang picked up the wine jar and, like a whale sucking in water, drank about seven or eight tenths of the wine in one gulp. He put the jar down and laughed, "The happiest time of my life was when I was a bandit with you, Boss Li, on the wilderness. Those years were truly wonderful!"

“At first, I didn’t realize you were Old Ma’s son. When I found out, I broke out in a cold sweat. If I had killed you, Old Ma would probably have been my sworn enemy!” Li Dachui laughed. “I reckon if he said one word, Linghu Ye would send someone to kill me.”

"The sons of military families can only be tempered in blood and fire. Yangguan Pass is a stagnant pool, which is why my father sent me out to gain experience back then." Ma Liang laughed, "So if I die, I can't blame anyone. If I really die, there's still a second son in the family!"

"Your second son is a complete good-for-nothing!"

"In a family like ours, either we have the real ability to support the family business, or we become complete good-for-nothings and squander it all. In any case, we have a pretty solid fortune that can last for one or two generations. The worst thing is someone who's all talk and no action, ruining themselves and others!"

Li Dachui nodded: "Your father sees this clearly; he's a man of character. But Brother Ma, you can't be soft-hearted about your power grab. Send your parents to Baoping City or Tai'an City so they can enjoy a peaceful retirement!"

"Understood!" Ma Liang said, "Now, the key young and strong generals of Yangguan are all following my lead. As for the other old guys, we'll have to put in some more effort. Anyway, when the time comes, if my father loves me, he'll have to step down!"

Li Dachui gave a thumbs up.

"Does Xiao Changche know about my affairs?"

“I don’t plan to tell him for now,” Li Dachui said. “I’ll tell him when the time is right.”

"Are you sure Xiao Changche will be able to walk the same path as us? That guy is really stubborn!" Ma Liang said with some concern.

"Don't worry, even the most stubborn guy can be straightened out!"

"Your confident demeanor is truly admirable!" Ma Liang said with a look of admiration.

"Brother Ma, the way you're acting is really disgusting!" Li Dachui, who disliked kung fu, leaned his head back.

"Really? Then next time I shave, put on some powder, and apply some rouge, will you find me more pleasing to the eye? Or next time I'll appear wearing the mask of Xiangling, the top courtesan of Yingchun Pavilion?" Ma Liang said, stroking his chin.

vomit!
Li Dachui lowered his head and gagged.

Ma Liang laughed loudly, got up, and left.

No one could have imagined that Ma Liang, the son of Ma Dacheng, a general of Yangguan, had fought alongside the bandit Li Dachui for many years and formed a deep friendship. Only after Ma Liang's true identity was exposed did Li Dachui expel him from the group and return to Yangguan.

There is only one goal: to go back and find an opportunity, and at the right time, take over Yangguan and put it in our own hands.

(End of this chapter)